Context:

The recently released State of the World Forest Report states that global wood production was at a record high of 4 billion m³ in 2022 and is expected to increase by 2050.

Key Highlights:

• Roundwood removals increased from 1961 to 1990 and then stabilized at approximately 3.5 billion cubic meters annually for the following two decades, the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed.
  The report is released every two years by the FAO
• Around 2010, roundwood production began to rise again, resulting in a 13 percent increase in global production by 2022 compared to 1990 levels. Over this same period, the world population surged by 50 percent, and GDP per capita grew by 174 percent.

Uses: 

• World roundwood removals have amounted to about 4 billion m³ annually in recent years.
  Around half of these have been burned for fuel, either in the form of fuelwood directly or in the manufacturing of pellets and charcoal.
  The majority of the remaining 2 billion m³ of wood that is utilized as industrial roundwood, or raw material, to make sawnwood, wood-based panels, and wood pulp.
• The report further said that Approximately 2.3 billion people rely on woody biomass, primarily for cooking and heating, with 82% of woodfuel consumption occurring in Africa, Asia, and South America.
• Europe, North America, and other regions consume the remaining 18%.

 Demand 

• The year 2018 saw the highest-ever growth in the production of industrial roundwood, the most reliable and affordable energy source, especially in the global South.
• The report said that the share of woodfuel in overall production has decreased from 60 percent to 49.4 percent between 1961 and 2022. 

  Future Projections:

• World roundwood production is expected to rise by 4-8% from 2022 to 2030, and the production is further likely to go up by 6-32% from 2022 to 2050. 
• The report also estimates that this could reach 240-1200 million tonnes by 2050, However, woodfuel consumption may decline slightly due to factors such as the adoption of solar energy and improved cooking technologies.     
• The estimated global consumption of woodfuel from forests in 2050 is projected to range from 2.3 to 2.7 billion tonnes. This represents an increase of 17 to 37 percent compared to the consumption levels in 2022.